Firefighters from all over London have spent the night tackling a massive underground bush fire in Kingston Hill.

The smouldering blaze is about a hectare in size, behind the Kingston University campus in Kingston Hill.

Firefighters from New Malden were called at about 8pm yesterday after several residents complained to Kingston Council about smoke during the day. Only in the evening did anyone call 999.

Some people at the scene this morning said Kingston Council was told about smoke in and around the field on Monday, but that has not been confirmed.

A Kingston Fire Brigade spokesman said a big concern was that there was no ready supply of water.

Firefighters from Hammersmith, Wandsworth and other stations were on their hands and knees in the early hours of the morning, digging and moving soil about to release heat from the ground.

The spokesman said it was quite common to see Australian-style bush fires in the area because the soil is peaty.

When it rained last night, he said, it compacted the soil and kept in the heat, causing the fire.

He said: "There was smoke coming out of the ground and what we’re doing is pushing water around the ground. Crews are working very hard but we have the fire under control."

The fire is near a large number of posh Kingston Hill homes, but the spokesman said there was no immediate danger.

He said firefighters would likely be there all day.

More to follow.